The following are paraphrases of today's questions
for oral answer. They are not complete or official, the
official record of Parliamentary proceedings is Hansard,
which is not finalised some days after the event.

SCOOP COVERAGE BEGINS

Question 1.

Helen
Duncan (Labour) to the Minister of Education Trevor
Mallard:

Q: What reports has he received regarding adult
literacy problems?

A: I have seen reports quoting a
National member saying the budget contained no funding for
three projects (listed).

Q: Why does this suggest an
adult literacy problem?

A: Because $22 million has been
provided for these projects. And if the member had been able
to read he would have realised this…

(Speaker… that’s
enough of that.)

Question 2.

Gerry Brownlee
(National) to the Prime Minister Helen Clark:

Q: In order
to assure herself that no Minister was implicated in leaking
details of a police inquiry, has she taken any steps to
investigate the assertions made by the political editor of
Radio New Zealand on Monday 24 July that he was told by a
Labour Party politician that "the reason the Police report
into Dover Samuels was held up was because a new allegation
of rape has been made and that that was being
investigated"?

A: No Minister has been briefed on the
details of the inquiry which means no minister could have
leaked this information.

Q: Is she concerned that Mr
Morrison also said that the person involved was close to
her?

A: No person other than Mr Samuels has had any
briefing from the police on this. No Minister and no staff
member.

Q: Winston Peters: What about former
commissioner Peter Doone?

A: My understanding is that Mr
Doone has a short time to run in his current job. I would be
very surprised if he was involved in this. I have had no
briefing on the matter.

Question 3.

Rt
Hon. Winston Peters (NZ First) to the Prime Minister Helen
Clark:

Q: Does she stand by her statement on TVNZ's Face
the Nation, 13 July 2000, with reference to the member for
Hauraki "John Tamihere discloses absolutely and I commend
him for that"?

A: I have seen his police record. It does
show he has four drunk driving convictions. He has one fine
for careless use and one for speeding. I challenge other
members to reveal their convictions for those offences.
Approximately five years ago there was a case involving
fraud. I have seen the statement of defence in relation to
that matter.

Q: John Tamihere (Labour): Will the PM bring
an investigation against the Member for Tauranga perverting
the course of justice….

(Winston Peters - I want an
apology?

Speaker – the member will apologise.

Tamihere -
I withdraw and apologise. Can I ask another
question.

Speaker – no.)

(SEE ALSO THE END OF QUESTION
4)

Question 4.

Hon. Tony Ryall (National) to the
Minister of Housing Mark Gosche:

Q: How many Community
Housing Ltd properties are rented to women's refuges?

A:
There are 54 properties rented to National Women’s refuges
and 20 more to independent refuges.

Q: How many weeks
rent for those refuges will go towards paying for the glitzy
live jazz and fondue birthday evening Housing New Zealand
has planned.

(Disorder…

Speaker – Order – I understand
that the mention of fondue causes outrage – I invite the
Minister to reply.)

A: I suggest that the Member brings
his glitzy candle and puts it under the fondue.: Women’s
refuges have been under a strain under the market rents
policies. Today we are setting up a $3 million fund to
enable organisations like Women’s Refuge to pay lower rents.
$3 million Mr Speaker.

Q: Does he consider it appropriate
that thousands are being spent on PR glitz campaigns?

A:
Yes I will inquire into the costs. But what I am more
interested in is that we are spending more on housing than
the previous government did.

(Winston Peters – The PM says
she has read a statement of defence. He pleaded guilty.
There is no statement of defence when there is a guilty
plea.

Prime Minister: It is five years ago that now
Justice Baragwanath gave papers to me on this. I no longer
have those papers They appeared to be statements in Mr
Tamihere’s Defence. I certainly saw full court papers
submitted in respect of Mr Tamihere. If there is some
technical error I have made in describing those papers I
apologise.

Q: Will he
confer with the Minister for the Environment on the
Environmental Risk Management Authority's decision to allow
the insertion of human genes in cows, which overrides the
advice of the local hapu Ngati Wairere and ERMA's Maori
advisory committee?

A: No. I understand that as ERMA has
already made a decision there is no avenue for Ministerial
intervention in this particular occasion.

Q: What steps
will he make to defend articles 2 and 4 of the Treaty?

A:
No. I do not consider ERMA has the expertise to decide
matters such as those raised in those articles. These are
matters that the crown and Maori should consider.

Q:
What about Science and Reason?

A: Tikanga and culture
recognise the role of science and we do understand that.
While I do not believe there is any avenue for intervention
at present, it is vital that ERMA be given direction that
the Maori Perspective be given appropriate consideration in
future and I intend discussing this with the Minister of the
Environment.

Q: How
will he know whether "homework" centres have made any
difference to gaps in educational achievement when there are
apparently no benchmarks, no standards, and no national
assessments?

A: Schools and parents need adequate
assessment tools. That is why I am investigating means of
assessing school performance by means other than making
young children sit an equivalent of Junior . Not every
childs parents can provide study support. I am surprised
that people like Donna are attacking the study and support
centres.

Q: What evidence is there that the centres will
work?

A: Not a lot. But there is some evidence that the
centres will work. One school in Rotorua thinks it has
improved reading levels by two years – that is a good start.
It is fair to say that schools have responded enormously to
this initiative. We have had lots of calls to the Ministry
of Education on this.

Q: What reports has he received on the past and
current situation of rural New Zealand?

A: I have
recently received two MAF reports on this. One on the
influence of social factors and one on the economic
situation.

Q: What are the key messages?

A: The
social factors report is gloomy. It highlights that govt
policies have had a detrimental effect on the Rural areas.
The Economic Report showed very positive trends forecasted
for everything but pip-fruit. Massive forecast rises in
income are forecast. I have also recently seen a MAF report
on telecommunications competition in rural NZ.

Q: What is the nature of the discussions she
referred to yesterday in the House being conducted between
the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and the Heart of the
Nation panel, concerning final payment for its report?

A:
The Ministry is seeking information on the costs of the
project and the approved budget.

Q: Why are their
discussions when she said yesterday that the report
represented value for money.

A: The cost of the project
was within a budget, but actual payment is being worked out
against costs in the budget. The government agrees with
Simon Upton that the report has brought together lots of
basic information which will be useful for policy
development.

Q: Why then did she make reference to those
discussions in relation to a question about her concerns
about the report?

A: I don’t know what was in the mind of
the questioner yesterday. In my mind there is no
contradiction. The terms of reference were broad. The report
covers some of them better than others. I am happy with what
I have bought.

Q: What actions has he taken to ensure that
Pacific communities in New Zealand are informed about the
Government's closing the gaps strategy?

A: We have an
ongoing programme of meeting with the PI community.

Q:
What has been the response?

A: Many communities say they
have never met the Minister of PI Affairs before. We are
placing emphasis on capacity development in the communities.
It is vital that Pacific people have quality schools and the
commitment of the Minister of Education to this is obvious.

Q: Arthur Anae (National): How will new zoning provisions
help close the gaps?

A: What we want to see happen is
that Mangere College and Otara College are as good Auckland
Grammer. I want to thank Arthur for his statements that this
was a good budget for Pacific Peoples.

Question
10.

Dr Lynda Scott (National) to the Minister of
Health Annette King :

Q: What factors did she take into
account when allowing Wairau Hospital to lease a ward to a
private trust?

A: None. The decision was made by Mrs
Shipley in 1995.

Q: Why should women in Blenheim have an
option women in Auckland will not have with the closure of
the Cornwall suite?

A: As I understand it the Blenheim
facility, the Churchill Trust – unlike the Auckland
situation –is not one where the facility was set up to
compete with the private sector because the private sector
received public funding. That is the sort of nonsense we
want to stop.

Q: As the suite is so popular why should
it not be up to the people of Auckland whether they want to
keep it?

A: A handful of women can afford the price of a
bed in the suite. Not every woman can afford it. With the
redevelopment and upgrade of National Women’s I hope all
women will have an upgrade in surroundings for births – not
just the few that can afford it.

Q: What progress is being made to
improve the security of payment of subcontractors in the
building industry?

A: I am considering a report on this.
Members of the working party have worked quickly to bring
together the parties to reach consensus. Since the repeal
of the Statutory Lien’s Act many long standing businesses
have gone into liquidation when building contracts have gone
sour. I hope to be able to solve this problem sooner rather
than later.

Q: Pansy Wong (National): When will this
report be shared with us?

A: I am very willing to share
the findings of the working party with other members. This
is not something we should be playing politics with. The
industry has taken just two months to reach a consensus on
this – much faster than in Australia. And this bodes well
for early resolution. The way risk is allocated in the
industry will have no impact on activity in the industry as
a whole – that is affected by factors ou. What we will do is
to try to fix who will feel the full force of failures so it
is fairer.

Q:
Does she intend to circulate a Supplementary Order Paper,
when the Employment Relations Bill is reported back to the
House, that will require employees who are union members to
be covered by a collective agreement, or will union members
be able to be covered by an individual agreement as the bill
presently provides?

A: No.

Q: Then does she agree with
the Minister of Education who has told the Northern
Kindergarten association that members will have to be
covered by the national NZEI agreement and will not be able
to have a specific contract for their workers?

A: I have
no knowledge of the comment attributed to the member. In the
bill there is choice for a worker on whether there is to be
coverage and choice on who that is provided by. Union
membership does not necessarily mean that a member is bound
by a collective agreement. And even if they are a member of
a collective they can negotiate additional clauses with
their employer.

While I have only been here a short time,
one thing I have learnt is that one does not instruct the
Minister of Education Trevor Mallard.

(Max Bradford –
leave sought to table a letter from the Minister of
Education to the Kindergarten association – objection,
first, then permission.)

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

ScoopPro is a new offering aimed at ensuring professional users get the most out of Scoop and support us to continue improving it so that Scoop continues to exist as a public service for all New Zealanders. More>>